


Accumulated Reality

by taishige



Category: Johnny's Entertainment, TOKIO
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-06
Updated: 2009-01-06
Packaged: 2017-11-05 22:38:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/411763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taishige/pseuds/taishige
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leader is uncoordinated and Tatsuya does what he does best. Not really much else to say besides beware the cuddly Leader.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Accumulated Reality

“Leader hurt himself.”

Tatsuya looked up from the seemingly-endless rows of rice seedlings he was pushing into the mud. His hands stung from the cold water.

“Well, that’s no surprise. When does he _not_ hurt himself?” There was a groan from beside him as Nagase stretched backwards, flicking small bits of mud as he swung his arms with him.

Taichi just laughed, his eyes traveling downwards towards their progress. He’d obviously come to help them finish, as he’d donned the atrocious boots they all wore into the rice fields, but he made no move to do so.

“Last time he strained his back trying to chop wood for the fire we needed.” Nagase used the side of his arm to wipe at a bead of sweat traveling down the side of his face.

Taichi scratched his nose. “…yeah. It was his ankle this time. Went and sprained it – least that’s what we think.”

Tatsuya’s eyes focused on the seedlings below him.

Nagase was still smiling to himself as he shook his head. “I guess there’s really not much we can do.” He gazed off for a moment before abruptly turning towards Taichi again. “Hey, you gonna help or just stand there all day?”

With a look of mock surprise, Taichi simply cocked his head to the side. “I don’t know – standing here watching you guys is a lot more amusing.” It was said with a laugh, though, and soon after, Taichi was dragging his boots through the mud to take his place by Tatsuya. The other Dash villagers moved to allow him room.

Tatsuya had already returned to the job at hand, biting the side of his lip. Silence returned to the work field as they settled back into the rhythm from before, Taichi relieving Tatsuya of half of his pile.

“How’d it happen?” He didn’t even turn his head.

Taichi glanced beside him. “Huh? Oh, Leader?” He let out a chuckle. “He was helping out with some repairs on the greenhouse. Mabo forgot to close the lid of the toolbox and he fell backwards right over it.”

It was silent for a moment.

“I hope the tools are ok.”

Taichi turned abruptly. “Nagase!!” His tone was sharp, though he couldn’t keep back the laugh that accompanied it.

Nagase, however, was practically rolling. “I kid, I kid.”

Both Taichi and Nagase continued chuckling for a few minutes, the silence finally returning save the shlop of the mud as they drug their boots through it.

Tatsuya pushed another seedling in with slightly more force than necessary. “That idiot never watches where he’s going.”

\---------------------------------

“Shouldn’t you be sitting down or something?”

Joshima glanced back from the board he was holding steady for Matsuoka, almost dropping it in the process. He cocked an eyebrow. “Eh?”

Tatsuya glanced down, hands on his hips. “Your ankle. I thought you hurt it.”

Now Joshima turned his eyes downward as well, lifting said ankle into the air slightly. “Oh, that. It’s not that bad.”

Matsuoka stopped his hammering, repositioning his sunglasses.

“It doesn’t hurt?”

“No, really. It’s fine.” As if to prove his point, he lowered it back to the ground and put his weight on it. He couldn’t keep the grimace off his face though.

Tatsuya simply sighed. “Here, give me the board.” He stepped up to him, already moving to grab it.

“I’ve got it. It’s fine.”

“You should sit down.”

“I’m fine. Really.”

Tatsuya grabbed his wrist and pulled it away, holding the board up easily with his other hand.

Joshima pouted, only backing up a few steps. He obviously didn’t want to quit that easily. Matsuoka was biting his lip to hold off his laughter.

“Why don’t you go help with something you can actually handle?” Tatsuya didn’t look away from the board as he spoke.

Joshima’s face fell, his whole body slumping. He looked back and forth between Tatsuya and Matsuoka, the latter cocking one eyebrow up and the former not even looking at him. Finally, his pout returned and he started wordlessly for the door. The limp as he walked was rather prominent though. He couldn’t keep in the wince as he steadied himself on the doorframe.

Tatsuya continued to stare at the board.

\--------------------------------

“Is there anything I can help with in here?”

Joshima popped his head in the doorway of the central building, a creak emanating up from the boards below him. The two women inside looked up in surprise at the sound of his voice, turning away from where something was boiling over the fire.

“Ah, Joshima-san. You startled us.”

He walked all the way in, doing his best to mask the pain in his ankle. Not that it really mattered that the Dash villagers knew he’d hurt himself.

“I, uh, finished everything else I was doing and thought I might come help.”

The two women glanced at each other hesitantly.

“You know… help out…?”

The one on the left, Joshima was pretty sure her name was Yuriko, stood up, waving her hands in front of her. “Oh, we’re fine in here. Not even enough work for the two of _us_.” She was walking towards him now, the other woman also getting to her feet. “You do look tired though, why don’t you sit down and rest a bit?”

“Eh? But I…”

“Leader shouldn’t use up all his energy, you know? You should take it easy once in a while.” They were ushering him towards the door.

“No, really, I’m fine-”

“You’ve already done so much. Just take a break, ok?”

He didn’t realize he was back on the porch until they were pushing down on his shoulders to get him to sit down. He found himself abruptly on his rear.

“You look cold. Are you cold? Did you forget your shirt?”

A bit taken aback, he glanced down. It was beginning to get a bit chilly, and indeed, he had apparently left his flannel shirt somewhere, but…

“Here, use this one.”

It was draped over his shoulders before he could protest.

“Now, just stop worrying about everything and rest for a bit, kay?”

They were both looking at him expectantly, hands on their hips. Considering the circumstances, there wasn’t much he could do, so he finally just nodded slightly. “R-right. Ok.” He almost forgot his manners. “Thank you.”

This seemed to be enough for them, and finally both women went back in the house, pleased smiles on their faces.

Joshima, however, was not so pleased, though the only way he could express it was through a rather exasperated sigh. He leaned his head back, finding the wall not far behind him and using it as a seat-back. He could still feel the faint throb of his ankle, but it wasn’t nearly as pronounced when he was sitting down.

He’d been sitting there for a few minutes when the wind took an even chillier turn. The sun was beginning to set, turning the sky orange. Instinctively, he grabbed the sides of the shirt around his shoulders and held them tighter to himself. When that didn’t seem enough, he eventually just slid his arms through it and pulled it all the way on. It was bigger than his own shirt, so it hung off him a bit comically, but it felt quite nice against the wind.

He continued to just sit there, watching as the sky went through a number of different colors. The beautiful view wasn’t exactly helping his mood though, as with each passing minute he felt more and more useless. When he finally couldn’t take it anymore, he pushed himself back to his feet, teetering a bit before limping his way off the porch. There had to be something he could still do.

Without much of a thought, he headed off for one of the barns. He could feed the goats, couldn’t he? That certainly didn’t take much. His ankle, however, was starting to send even worse jolts of pain everytime he stepped on it.

He made it without too much of a hassle, though there didn’t seem to be anyone else in sight. It was starting to get really dark outside as he bent down to pick up one of the tin buckets lying near the entrance, the air now cold enough that you could really feel it. The sound of the goats made its way out every once in a while.

“Sakurako-chan…”

He held the bucket out, jostling it a bit as he walked inside and towards the food bin. There was an intrigued bleating noise from one of the goats. He could still help. He wasn’t just a useless old man that got in the way all the time. Or at least, that’s the thought he would have had were it not abruptly cut off by a much sharper pain in his ankle. This one brought him down to his knees, forcing him to practically curl up in on himself. He’d been so intent on his task that he’d forgotten to favor it the last couple of steps.

Tears sprung to his eyes as he bent forward, hands clutching his leg. Ok, so maybe this hadn’t been the best idea he’d ever had. He’d certainly had worse ones, though. He glanced up at the bucket that had fallen to the ground with him, having rolled off to the side and into a small pile of hay.

Maybe he really was useless.

Holding back the tears, he leaned forward to try and get to his feet once more. The first step he took, though, had him back down on the ground, the pain intensified. What a delightful situation he’d gotten himself into.

He let his shoulders fall as he let out a sigh. The wind whipped slightly from the door that he’d left open.

“Ah! Leader!”

Eyes opened wide, he attempted to twist his body around at the sound of the voice.

“That’s an interesting place to take a rest.” There was a smile on Nagase’s face as he sauntered leisurely inside.

Joshima immediately began to push himself to his feet, embarrassment overriding the pain. It didn’t last long though. He fell to his knees this time, teeth clenched. “I just… you know, wanted to see what it was like… uh, for the goats. Yeah. The goats’ perspective.”

Nagase was already over to him, clearly amused. “Well, that is _so_ _thoughtful_ of you.” He bent down, grabbing Joshima’s wrist and pulling his arm across the back of his shoulders. “ _However_ , it’s time to eat. I’m sure the goats will do fine for a little while longer.”

As Nagase stood up, he brought Joshima with him, the latter trying his best not to lean on him too much.

“How did you know I was…?”

“Oh, he told me.” Nagase gave a little smirk before moving towards the door, using one arm to pull Joshima along.

“Eh?”

But there was no more response save a slight chuckle as they walked out of the barn and across the darkened field. The sun had now almost completely set, black shadows stretched across everything. The only light excluding the moon was the yellow glare emanating from the central building Joshima had been sitting against not too long ago.

They made it up to the door without much trouble, slipping inside the bright light that had illuminated their path. Joshima had to shield his eyes as they got readjusted to the light, though he didn’t mind too much as the warmth from the fire felt exceedingly nice.

“Ah, Leader! Welcome back.”

“I found him feeding the goats.”

Joshima held his breath for a second, but when Nagase didn’t go into details, he let his shoulders relax.

Matsuoka looked over to them from where he was dishing rice into his bowl. “You know, when you run off like that, you should probably tell someone where you’re going.”

“Yeah, if Gussan hadn’t told us where you’d gone, we’d still be looking!” Taichi was warming his hands over the fire.

“Eh?”

“Speaking of, it looks like he’s already gotten your food for ya.” Nagase dragged him over to one of the empty spots where there were already both soup and rice waiting for him. With a push on his shoulders, he then had him sitting down between Taichi and Matsuoka. “Lucky dog.”

Joshima looked towards Tatsuya for the first time, the other man abruptly turning away. “It’s only ‘cuz I was hungry and wanted to eat sooner. I haven’t eaten anything since that snack around one.”

Nagase had already walked back around to the shelves where Yuriko grabbed two bowls for him. He then sauntered over to take his place next to Tatsuya. “Well, why didn’t you get any for me, Mr. Impatient?”

Tatsuya turned his head and just looked at him. “You can get your own damn food!”

The whole building erupted with laughter. Nagase shook his head with a chuckle as he leaned forward to fill up his bowls. All the rest of the Dash villagers that weren’t seated yet sidled up around the fire pit as well, gathering their chopsticks as they did so.

“Well, let’s eat.” Matsuoka grinned.

There was a chorus of affirmation and then they all began to dig in. Joshima picked up his chopsticks a bit awkwardly, glancing about as both Taichi and Matsuoka began snorting up their food. Finally, though still feeling a bit off, he simply began eating as well.

It was relatively quiet while they ate, though every once in a while someone would bring up something about what they’d done today or would need to do in the near future. The cameras that had been recording many of their deeds earlier were now gone, so they didn’t have to worry about TV audiences around the world keying in on their every word. Not that they kept much in even while being recorded.

“Is anyone else actually heading back home tonight?”

Taichi looked up as Nagase talked, chewing slowly. “Nah, I figured I’d be tired. Booked a hotel not too far away.”

“Same one as always?”

“Obviously.” This was accompanied by a snarky grin.

Nagase let out a small sigh and ran his hands through his hair. “I originally planned on just heading back tonight…”

“I heard it’s supposed to storm later. Awful rain comin’ in.” Matsuoka set his glass back down after his drink.

“Eeeh? Really?” His face scrunched up in thought.

Taichi raised a chopstick in the air. “Just stay with us. There’s plenty of room.” This caused Matsuoka to nod as well.

“Wait, I was gonna drive home too.” Tatsuya seemed to snap out of the trance he’d been in.

All three of them turned towards him, silent for a moment before Taichi’s eyes opened wide. “We… should have a _sleepover_.”

Matsuoka conked him on the side of the head.

But Nagase’s eyes had opened wide as well. “That is an _awesome idea._ Come on, guys – it’s been forever since we all just hung out together. The hotel room should be plenty big enough!” Everyone just stared at him, an unspoken agreement echoing in their minds. Then suddenly, as if on cue, they all whipped their heads around to look at Joshima.

Who just sat there looking confused.

“Eh?”

Taichi grabbed his shoulder. “Leader, what were your plans for tonight?”

“Me? Well, I was just…”

“You’re in no shape to drive home tonight anyway. Come on!”

“He does have a point…” Matsuoka rested his chin on his fist.

Joshima turned his eyes downward, feeling only slightly awkward. “Well, I… guess it’s ok.”

Taichi let out a cheer, slapping him on the back and almost sending him sprawled forward in his rice. “Alright!” Both he and Nagase appeared incredibly excited, while Matsuoka and Tatsuya didn’t seem to care much.

The new plans, however, enticed them to finish their meals faster, so they began eating with quite a bit more fervor. The Dash villagers around them seemed highly amused by what had transpired, some even chuckling quietly to themselves.

Taichi and Nagase were the first ones done, already beginning to clean out their dishes and put things away. Then Tatsuya was on his feet as well, rinsing the food remains from his own. Once he’d placed them back on the shelves, he turned around, eyes focused towards the other end of the table before he could stop them.

He stepped forward hesitantly, one hand starting to rise in the air.

“Leader, I’ll take care of those dishes for you.”

But it was Matsuoka’s voice.

“Ah, are you sure? I can really…”

“No, it’s fine. I’m taking mine anyway.”

“Thank you…”

Matsuoka gathered up both of their dishes in his arms, carrying them away. Tatsuya lowered his head, bringing an arm up to run through his hair as he walked back to his own side of the table.

\-------------------------------------

Joshima sat back outside on the porch as everyone else finished with the cleaning and locking up for the night. He’d been ushered out before he could even protest, and once there, had decided it might _actually_ be for the best. It’s not like he could walk very easily right now.

The air had turned considerably chiller, the wind picking up as well. It sent a chill down his spine. It appeared that storm might actually be coming after all. He pulled his flannel shirt around him tighter, trying to tuck his head down away from the cold.

He listened to the wind as he waited. The way it whistled through the trees was a tad bit creepy, the leaves and plants it stirred creating eerie shadows. The moon wasn’t even out anymore, having disappeared behind what he assumed were dark rain clouds.

It was taking them longer than he’d thought it would to finish cleaning everything up. The sounds from behind him were gone as they’d all gone to the other buildings to lock up and make sure things were in their places, though it was too hard to distinguish their shapes in the darkness.

He didn’t think much about the time though. That was, until the light behind him was abruptly turned off.

He immediately sat up straight, the suddenness of the darkness catching him off-guard. His muscles went positively rigid.

“Ah… uh… Nagase?” It came out a whisper at first. “Taichi?”

The darkness was surrounding him now, settling in like a giant, black blanket. There was no response save a slow creak from the building.

“Matsuoka…? …Yamaguchi..?”

Still no answer. They couldn’t have left him, could they? How could they forget him?

He tried to push himself to his feet, but pain shot through his leg the moment he put his weight on it. He immediately sat back down.

“…anyone?”

He instinctively began curling up, arms wrapped around himself. The wind had picked up a bit more now, causing him to shiver slightly.

It made sense, he supposed. It’s not like he was good for much anyway. Given the choice, he would probably forget himself too. They’d probably enjoy themselves more if he wasn’t there.

He felt something hit the back of his neck. Something cold.

He let out a small sigh. This was exactly what he needed.

Another one, and another. Tiny wet spots began dotting the legs of his overalls. He could hear it out in the fields now, the sprinkle turning into a steady stream. He pulled at his shirt even tighter.

“You know, for being Leader, you can sure be pretty pathetic sometimes.”

His head popped up immediately.

There was an amused sigh from the dark figure that now stood just a short ways in front of him. Joshima strained his eyes to pick out who it was.

"Gussan…?”

There was no answer, but the figure began walking towards him. He felt a hand grip his shoulder with a reassuring pat before he was looking up into the eyes of just that exact person.

“Let’s get you to the car.”

Joshima bit his lip, watching as Tatsuya turned back around, crouching down just off the porch. Taking the hint, he pushed himself up from his position, being cautious of his ankle as he practically let himself fall on Tatsuya’s back. He immediately felt the other’s arms wrap around his rear as he was hoisted up. As Tatsuya began to stand, he quickly moved to wrap his own arms around his neck.

There was a strangled-sounding choke.

“Not… not so tight.”

Joshima let go instantly. “S-sorry.” He brought his hands back to grip the fabric of his shirt instead, leaning his body forward to keep from falling backwards. The cloth was soaking wet.

“Gussan… why aren’t you wearing your over-shirt?”

“Eh?” Tatsuya turned his head slightly, then just as quickly was looking forward again. “I, uh, lost it… “ He started walking, his feet making squishy noises in the wet grass.

“Ah…” Joshima gripped the fabric tighter, letting his chin rest on the other’s shoulder. The rain had soaked the towel he had tied around his head and was now dripping down his face. “You’re gonna catch a cold.”

“I’m fine.”

Tatsuya continued to trudge along, now having made it to the path towards where their cars were parked. The dirt had turned to mud some time ago, making it a bit slick. He had to stop a few times to readjust his grip on the older member. Joshima opened his mouth to say something everytime, but nothing ever came out.

The makeshift parking area was only lit by a single light, which was enough to see that all of the other members’ cars were gone. Without even thinking, Tatsuya took Joshima straight to his own car, opening up the passenger door and lowering him to the ground. Once he was sure the other was in safely, he walked around to the right side of the car to get in as well, starting it up and immediately turning the heater on full-blast.

And still they remained silent.

Joshima stuck his hands between his legs, leaning forward slightly. Tatsuya was rubbing his hands along his bare arms, trying to warm them up.

The rain sounded louder from inside the car as it beat on the windshield.

They couldn’t have sat there longer than five minutes before Tatsuya finally decided to head out. Upon flicking on the headlights, Joshima could see his own car sitting rather lonely across the path, though it quickly disappeared from sight as Tatsuya began steering the car out of the lot.

“Gussan… thanks…” Joshima was staring at his hands.

Tatsuya didn’t say anything at first, clicking the turning signal as he steered the car back onto the main road.

“I-”

“Shige really needs to be more careful. Learn to say no if it’s something you can’t handle.”

Tatsuya didn’t look away from the road. Joshima was now positively fixated on his hands.

“Next time it could be something worse than your ankle. You never know. You don’t need to prove anything, you know?”

Joshima bit his lip.

“I mean, seriously, what would we do if something happened to you? Shige’s our backbone, right? Shige's our…”

Tatsuya was clenching the wheel a bit tighter than he needed to. The windshield wipers were working overtime to clear away the rain.

Joshima opened his mouth to say something but closed it almost immediately.

\----------------------------------

“Holy crap! Leader! I completely forgot!”

Taichi had stopped dead in his tracks as Tatsuya walked through the door, one of Joshima’s arms around his neck for support. Both Matsuoka and Nagase looked up quickly from their spots by the TV.

By the time Tatsuya had plopped Joshima down in an empty seat, all three of the other members had surrounded him, faces a mixture of disbelief and worry.

“We got so excited, we didn’t even think about it!”

“Plus, the rain didn’t help…”

“Leader, you ok? You look soaked!”

Well, he was cold, that was for sure. He gave a little smile though. They looked so worried. “I’m fine. Really. Gussan got me just fine.”

“You need to be louder, Leader. Seriously. Shout at us – we’re dumb and we forget things.” Nagase pointed to himself, absolutely serious.

“It’s true! Nagase forgets his _clothes_ half the time!”

Nagase pounced on Taichi, wrestling him to the floor. “You’re just jealous you don’t look as good without ‘em!”

Taichi simply squealed as he tried to escape.

Matsuoka did his best to ignore the two on the floor, though a smile had already spread on his face. He kneeled down to be more on eye-level with Joshima and gave his knee a reassuring pat. “We _are_ sorry, Leader.”

But Joshima was grinning now as well. “It’s fine, Mabo.”

Tatsuya came back from his short disappearance, drying his hair off with a towel he’d procured from the bathroom. He’d clunked his bag down against the wall, it being fairly empty with just a single change of clothes should his Dash clothes become unbearably dirty. He made his way over to where Joshima was still sitting, watching his fellow band members in half-amusement.

“Yo. Shige.”

Joshima looked up. “Eh?”

He bent down, untying the towel from Joshima’s head and proceeding to playfully towel his hair dry as well. “You look like a drowned rat.”

Joshima laughed, closing his eyes under the pressure. “Gussan always has such kind words.”

It was as Joshima looked up that he stopped. Their eyes met, Joshima grinning with that small, almost half smile…

He instantly stepped back. Glancing about almost nervously, he finally turned his head completely away. “You should… change out of those clothes. You’ll get sick or something.” He walked away without another word.

Joshima’s smile fell. Bringing his hands up to grasp the towel, he finished drying it, wondering the whole time what he’d done wrong.

\----------------------------------

Nagase was telling a story of some sort. The entire night had gone from one thing to another, whether it be an amusing variety show on TV to Taichi eating an entire package of Walky-Walky in one gulp and now to amusing anecdotes from their youngest member. At least they were all sitting down finally. Things had gotten a bit crazy for a while.

The TV was still on though, and for some reason none of them thought to turn it down at all, so Nagase had to compete with the sound of the karaoke contest going on in the background.

“…I _told_ him that it was going to happen, obviously, but really… I don’t think _anyone_ listens to me.”

Taichi was sitting upside down on the couch, his head falling off the side. “That’s because we want to keep at least _part_ of our sanity.

Nagase’s expression went from intense to hurt and finally to laughter. He threw a pillow at Taichi’s face.

Matsuoka looked up from the magazine he’d started reading halfway through Nagase’s story, raising an eyebrow, then simply went back to reading.

“Hey guys, I think I’m gonna hit the sack. I’m already starting to nod off.” Tatsuya had been leaning back against the other arm of the couch, but now pushed himself up straight, rubbing at his eyes. Nagase glanced up at him as he got to his feet, stretching his arms above his head.

“But I haven’t even gotten to the end yet!”

“Sorry, I’m just… yeah, I’m about to conk out completely.” Tatsuya yawned loudly as if to prove his point. He began walking towards the door that led to the bedroom.

“Al _right_ , but you’re missin’ out, I’m tellin’ ya.”

Tatsuya merely grinned, giving one final wave before disappearing from sight. He closed the door behind him.

Taichi kicked his feet against the back of the couch.

“So anyway, then I… then I…” Nagase furrowed his eyebrows. “Leader, don’t tell me you’re not listening either!”

Joshima’s head popped up in surprise from where he’d been leaning back against the side of the couch. “Ah, no, I’m listening, I’m listening…”

Apparently, this was good enough for Nagase, as he then continued on as if nothing had happened. Joshima blinked his eyes a few times to clear the sleep out of them, for he actually _had_ fallen asleep. Repositioning himself slightly, he pulled the blanket he had around his shoulders a bit tighter. Matsuoka and Taichi had been the only ones with anymore than one change of clothes, and given that Joshima didn’t have _any_ with his bag being back in his own car, he’d had to borrow some dry clothes. The sweatshirt he’d gotten was _more_ than a bit big though.

“Leader should probably get some sleep as well.” Matsuoka didn’t look up from his magazine.

He looked wearily towards the chair where his bandmate sat, unable to suppress the yawn that overtook him. “Yeah… you’re probably right.” He brought a hand up to scratch the side of his head.

“…so then the entire thing came crashing over! Crashing! There were gumballs everywhere!”

Joshima got wearily to his feet, having to pause a moment to fully regain his balance. His ankle had settled down a bit, and he could finally put a bit of weight back on it. His limp still remained, however. He repositioned the blanket again, shuffling his feet. “Alright, I’m headin’ to bed too.”

Taichi rubbed his eyes, letting out a small sigh. “’Night, Leader.”

Nagase had somehow gotten distracted by the TV, as the person singing was now croaking out a strange version of Sora Fune. “…I sound so much better than that…”

Joshima waited a moment longer and finally just left, opening the door to the bedroom quietly and peeking inside. He had to grab the doorframe to keep from falling over. All the lights were off, making it hard to even distinguish where the two beds were.

“…Gussan?” It came out as barely a whisper. There was no answer though.

He slipped inside as quietly as he could, closing the door behind him and encasing himself in the darkness. Standing there for a few moments, he let his eyes start to readjust. Now that he’d cut off the noise from the other room, he could hear the sound of someone breathing softly from not that far away.

Perhaps he was already sleeping?

He began creeping forward as stealthily as one can while limping. He could see the beds more clearly now, one of them with a darker shape on top of it. Tatsuya truly must have been bushed as he now appeared to be completely passed out on the bed.

Joshima made it to the side of the bed, sitting down on the very edge. His eyes slightly more adjusted to the dark, Tatsuya’s shape was becoming fully recognizable. His fellow bandmate was pretty much sprawled across the bed, quiet snores coming from his nose.

He leaned forward as far as he dared, using his arm for support. Cocking his head to the side, he simply watched him. People were always saying that Tatsuya was aging better than him. Well, mainly his bandmates just made fun of him about it, but they made fun of him for just about everything.

He let out a sigh, resting his head on his shoulder as he closed his eyes. He wondered what it would be like to be Tatsuya, the sturdily-built one that all the fangirls seemed to gush over, rather than Leader, the one who only seemed there for kicks and giggles. The one whose name caused laughter while everyone else’s caused cries of joy. It’s not that he didn’t like his position in the band, just that…

He opened his eyes again, chewing on the inside of his cheek. Finally, he scooched himself forward ever so slightly so he was more on the bed, letting himself fall down until his head was resting on his bandmate’s chest.

It felt weird. Very weird.

And yet comforting. Protective. He closed his eyes, feeling Tatsuya’s chest rise up and down with his breathing. It was the only sound in the room, and he let it calm him down. Lull him into a state of relaxation.

He wondered if lovers laid like this.

Oh, who was he kidding? Of course they did. Just because he wasn’t used to it didn’t mean that it was a rare thing for others. He shifted position just enough that he could move his arm up to drape around Tatsuya’s side.

Maybe, even, Tatsuya and his wife would lay like this.

That thought should have made him feel guilty, but surprisingly, it didn’t. He was far too taken in by how wonderful the false sense of protection felt. Even while sleeping, Tatsuya could supply more of that feeling than Joshima could supply while trying his hardest.

“Thanks… Tatsuya…”

Though not even Joshima knew what it was for.

\------------------------------------

Tatsuya awoke the next morning with the sun shining in through a crack in the curtains right on his face. He forgot for a moment exactly where he was, though as he blinked his eyes open, it began to come back.

Ah, yes. The hotel.

He tried to sit up until he realized another body was making it slightly difficult to move.

His eyes shot wide open, sleep forgotten.

His companion was still fast asleep, half his body practically on top of his as though trying to snuggle up in his shirt. The tussle of reddish-brown hair was what identified him though. That and the oversized sweatshirt he remembered laughing about the night before.

He didn’t move. Didn’t do anything. He was scared to even breathe. With just his eyes, he tried glancing around the rest of the room. Taichi and Nagase were fully-sprawled across the other bed, the former using the latter’s back as a pillow. That meant the figure curled up on the floor in a blanket must have been Matsuoka.

His eyes returned to Joshima, the band-leader sleeping quite peacefully.

He had to get out of here. Quickly.

As carefully as he could, he started to let his body inch to the right, hoping to just slide out from under him. He got a leg off the bed, followed by his shoulder. Ever so slowly, he twisted his body as he used his free leg to push himself to a standing position.

His plan worked perfectly until he felt a hand clench into the fabric of his shirt, followed by a moan of disapproval from Joshima.

He stopped instantly, heart-racing.

But Joshima didn’t actually seem to be awake, as he made no more moves. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a pillow from the top of the bed, maneuvering it around until he could shove it between his companion’s arms. At first there was nothing, but finally, Joshima’s hand relaxed until it fell, his other arm wrapping around the pillow and hugging it to himself.

Tatsuya let out a sigh of relief. He brought a hand up to run through his hair as he stood all the way up. Gentle snores from behind him told him that nobody else had woken up either, which was probably for the better.

As he looked back down at Joshima, he couldn’t help but smile. Though he didn’t allow himself to look long. He couldn’t.

His smile fell as he brought one hand down to gently run through the other’s hair.

But no, he had to go. Joshima’d be fine with the others here.

He exited the room as quietly as he could, picking up his bag from where it sat against the wall. The main room looked kind of a mess, what with most of the cushions off the couch and wrappers strewed across the floor, but it simply made him chuckle to himself. Making sure he had his car keys and anything else he might have left in the room, he finally made it to the door and slipped outside. From there, it wasn’t far to the lobby where he got his shoes from the closet area.

The rain had stopped sometime during the night, but it had left small puddles of water scattered throughout the parking lot. It had also left a slightly chilly wind whipping across everything, but he didn’t have any kind of jacket. He’d just have to deal with it. Besides, it wasn’t far to his car.

Tossing his bag into the backseat, he climbed inside and stuck his key into the ignition. It started up without much effort, the vents still kicking out air at full-blast from last night. Shoulders falling a bit, he let himself sit back in the seat as he stared at the wheel, trying to forget the after-image of Joshima’s body wrapped around his own.

He wasn’t thinking about it. There wasn’t even anything to think about. He could push it out of his mind easily. Easy as pie.

Before he knew it, he was leaning forward with his head on the steering wheel, shoulders shaking.


End file.
